Sleigh Ride
by Stronger than you since 1915
Summary: One snowy day Edward is taken on a sleigh ride with the girl of his dreams which creates a whole string of events he never thought possible.


**Just a fun little holiday story that was inspired by Relient K's video for Sleigh Ride. **

The snow came down fast and heavy, quickly piling up in thick banks of lovely white flakes. Edward stared through the window of the library in delight as he watched the first actual snowfall of the year. He also stared at the girl skating on the lake, gliding effortlessly across the frozen surface with her eyes closed and head lightly tilted toward the sky.

Edward gasped in amazement as she leapt up in the air twisting her body so that she was parallel to the ice, landing on her left leg, her right held straight behind. He was further astounded when she took hold of her right foot and spun a dozen times in a near perfect Biellmann spin. He sighed in admiration, the action somehow causing his heavy glasses to slip down his nose, making him curse.

The boy at the table with him, previously entranced by the large book in front of him, looked up at Edward's curse. He chuckled as his friend took the spectacles from his face and tossed them on the table, annoyed with them and their inability to remain where he wanted them to. He gave his friend a sour look, the effect ruined since they both knew Edward could barely see the blond-haired boy.

"Give it up Edward," he said knowing full well what Edward had been looking at moments before through the window, why else would they have chosen a seat that was in perfect view of the frozen lake? "Girls like her do not have time for guys like you." Edward grunted, and replaced the glasses on his face, wishing that his parents would surprise him with new ones for the holiday. Edward didn't know it but the pair he had been secretly coveting were already wrapped and safely hidden underneath the Christmas tree in the Cullen's grand living room.

"Jasper, as my best friend, you are not supposed to tell me things like that." Edward replied bitterly, opening his novel to where he had left off before being distracted by _her._ She was perfection in Edward's eyes; beautiful, kind, and smart. Too bad all the other boys at school figured that out too. Isabella Swan was one of the most sought after and unattainable girls to ever live. She never dated, definitely never slept with anyone, and there were even rumors that she had not even been kissed. Bella was the bull's eye of every male's target for a perfect girl.

"Do you really want me to lie to you? To make you believe you have a chance only to be shot down like all the other guys who were dumb enough to go after the girl who basically screams "_I'm wearing a chastity belt!_"? We both know you're too smart to think that." Edward pouted in a way much too immature for an eighteen year-old boy to do but he didn't care. He had wanted Jasper to lie.

Instead of admitting this to Jasper, Edward conceded to gazing out the window again, hoping to watch Bella practice her figure skating. Anyone with half a brain could tell that she was headed to the Olympics and would be bringing home a couple of gold medals before she was of legal drinking age. The whole town knew she had already been invited to skate with several top European teams but she had turned them all down in favor of the American team.

Edward looked to the lake only to find it unoccupied by the brown haired beauty he had lusted after since he first figured out girls were not as gross as his childish mindset believed them to be. He searched for her, subtly trying to cover his frantic perusal by stretching his arms over his head. His hands slapped the table when he couldn't find her anywhere; she had disappeared in the short amount of time he was talking to Jasper.

Dejected, he sighed heavily and laid his forehead on his arms, closing his eyes, and wishing that for once something great would happen to him. He listened to Jasper turn the pages of his book, the ancient heater next to them slowly die and the front door open and close with a loud bang. He didn't look up until he heard the voice of Bella call out to the librarian.

"It's storming out there Mimi!" Edward raised his head from his arms to see Bella unwrapping a thick wool scarf from around her neck, her long brown hair saturated with melting snowflakes. Her ice skates hung by their laces from around her neck, hitting against each other as she accepted a steaming Styrofoam cup from the librarian, Mimi. She sipped the hot cup happily, complimenting the old woman on the sweetness of the chocolate.

"I make it with Hershey's." Mimi explained, handing Bella a towel to dry her hair. She stripped off her thick winter jacket and laid it over the back of a chair before rubbing the towel over the top of her head. When she finished her hair was left in a chaotic state, sticking up in several odd places. Edward still thought she looked as beautiful as ever with her flushed cheeks, rosy from the bite of the icy air outside, and bulky knit sweater.

Bella sipped from her cup, slowly looking around the library until her eyes landed on the table where Edward and Jasper sat. Edward watched as she lowered her cup from her mouth and smiled at him, waving at him like they were old friends. She abandoned all of her things and made her way over to the two boys, Jasper completely oblivious.

Edward kicked his friend underneath the table and when he looked up angrily Edward carefully tilted his head in Bella's direction. Jasper looked over, confused, and his eyes widened when he saw the oncoming girl. Edward's heart started racing and his palms got sweaty, making him pray that she wouldn't notice how flustered he was just from her coming near him.

"Hey Edward, Jasper, how are you guys?" she pulled out a chair and sat down, smiling happily at the two of them. Edward smiled back at her, shyly, too stunned to say anything. Bella waited patiently, a small grin still gracing her face as she watched the timid boy in front of her. Exasperated, Jasper answered for Edward, frustrated that his friend was too wimpy to say anything.

"We're doing great, thanks for asking. Edward was just talking about how excited he was about the snow." Edward snapped out of his sappy staring to give Jasper a puzzled look. Bella however, gasped and grabbed Edward's arm, sending his heart into shock mode.

"I love the snow too! I was hoping this would be a really cold year so I could practice on the lake. Isn't winter amazing?" Edward could do nothing but nod dumbly. Jasper scoffed at his childishness but the noise went unnoticed as Bella had become extremely animated on the topic of snow. She launched into a tirade on how winter is more relaxing than summer and Edward sat there, listening to her lovely voice attentively.

"We should go on a sleigh ride together!" she exclaimed after Edward told her how he didn't like summer because it was always too hot to which Bella agreed fervently. "The Jones family is having a fundraiser and we should totally go!" she looked between Edward and Jasper for confirmation, her wide brown eyes shining with excitement.

"Well," Jasper answered, "I actually have some place to be soon but Edward wants to go, don't you Ed?" Bella squealed cheerfully and pulled Edward up by his arm. "It was nice talking to you Jasper!" she called over her shoulder. "We should hang out sometime soon!" Edward waved to Jasper who was laughing raucously, clutching his stomach, and nearly falling out of his chair.

"We can take my truck." Bella said, still holding Edward's arm. Edward remembered that Bella had left her scarf, skates, and coat, in the library and reminded Bella. "Oh, my gosh thank you for telling me!" she released his arm and turned to leave. "Wait right here I'll be right back." She sprinted back much faster than Edward would have thought her short legs could have carried her.

Bella returned moments later with her coat and scarf on, carrying her skates in her left hand, a smile still on her face as it always seemed to be. She reached Edward and thanked him again for reminding her to which he blushed and toed the snow. Once they reached her truck Bella tossed her skates into the back and unlocked the doors, jumping in the driver's side to start the engine. When Edward got in the heater was on full blast, bringing his violent shivering to attention; he hadn't even noticed how cold he was.

"Ok, now that we're all warm and toasty let's go!" Bella shifted into reverse and peeled out of the parking lot. She had no trouble maneuvering on the icy roads, flying at speeds Edward never would have dreamed of hitting when the weather was as bad as it was. In less than five minutes they reached the Jones farm which should have taken at least ten minutes to get to if they had done the speed limit.

Bella leapt from the truck with several blankets clutched in her arms and ran over to Edward who slipped on a patch of ice as soon as he stepped down from the cab. He caught himself just as she came around the back, smiling as always. Her smile slipped for a moment when she saw him stumble but once he was standing upright once more she was grinning again.

"Not very coordinated?" she guessed, giggling lightly and linked her arm through Edward's and pulled him towards the booth where they would pay. Edward reached for his wallet but by the time he got it out of his pocket Bella already paid and was leading him to the horse-drawn sleigh. The two clambered up into the seat and Bella covered their laps with three blankets with one more wrapped around both of their shoulders.

This left Bella pressed tightly against Edward, laying her head on his shoulder, shivering despite how well they were covered. The driver flicked the reins and the two horses sprang into a brisk trot, carrying the sleigh smoothly across the snow.

"So how are you doing Edward?" Bella asked, tilting her head up to look at the boy. Edward gazed down at her, not knowing what to say. Her lips lifted into a small smile at his hesitation and she grabbed his glove covered hand with her own mitten clad one, squeezing it for support. Giddy at the gesture, Edward cleared his throat and answered.

"I'm surprised, actually. We've never spoken before and suddenly we're out together on a sleigh ride. It's nice though, I am enjoying myself." After he said it Edward was rather embarrassed at how he just told Bella he was surprised at her talking to him. If she minded, however, she didn't show it, instead her smile got wider and she squeezed his hand again.

"I'm having fun too. You're so sweet Edward I don't know why we've never talked. I always thought you wouldn't want to talk to me. When I saw you in the library you looked lonely so I took a chance and now look where it got me! I'm with the nicest and cutest boy I've ever met and he's actually enjoying himself." Edward turned impossibly red at the end of Bella's little speech. She had called him cute and that made him squeal internally like a little girl.

They were silent then, the only noise being the horses' hooves pounding against the snow at a steady pace and the scraping of the rails. Edward's glasses slid down his nose suddenly, landing on his lap but he made no move to retrieve them; he had just lightly laid his cheek against the top of Bella's head and she made no move to stop him. In fact she curled closer to him and put her cheek against his chest and rested her hand on his shoulder.

Bella chuckled slightly when she saw his glasses fall, the sound small and tired, telling Edward she was becoming sleepy. The yawn that followed confirmed his suspicion. Bella murmured something about him being warm and squishy and quickly enough her breath evened out and she was silent. Edward sighed, thanking any divine being that would listen for giving him this moment.

The sleigh entered town, gliding along the snow covered street, and passing through the main part of town where many people were out. Everyone stopped and stared as the horses trotted by, looking on in an attempt to see who was enjoying a leisurely ride. Several boys from the high school were shocked to see Bella Swan curled into Edward Cullen's side, asleep. Despite their extreme jealousy they had to admire the romance of the scene.

Edward looked down at Bella as the sleigh looped around to return down the path it just came down, headed back to the farm. He was amazed at her beauty and could not find reason for why she was with him, holding him as lovers would. Peach blossom lips, scarlet cheeks, baby doll eyelashes that touched her cheekbones and hair so soft and fine that Edward could not help but brush it from her face.

This moment brought back his wish that, for once, something good would happen to him. As the snowfall slowed, turning the thumb-sized flakes into those that were barely larger than a pea, Edward thanked fate for answering him and bringing him such joy. They soon returned to their initial launch point and, with much displeasure, Edward shook Bella awake and told her they were done, they had to get off.

After much yawning, stretching, stumbling, and finally almost falling head first into the snow, Edward carried Bella to her truck with the girl protesting weakly behind him. He took the keys from her after the third time she had dropped them and forced her to sit in the passenger's seat for he would be driving. After folding the blankets and replacing them in the back seat, Edward started the truck and drove, ten miles under the speed limit, to Bella's house.

She was fully awake by the time Edward pulled into her driveway, "Come in, please. My dad won't be home for a while and I don't want to be alone." Edward agreed, leaving out the fact that he did not have a ride home anyway; Jasper had driven them to the library and Bella had driven them to the farm. He also didn't mention the fact that Bella had plenty of friends she could have called if she was lonely that would have been willing to come over and comfort her.

When they got inside Bella filled a kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil then pulled out mugs and a container of powdered cocoa. The two went into the living room where they worked together to get a fire started, having difficulty getting the wood to stay ablaze for long. After several tries, however, the logs caught on and started crackling merrily, casting their dancing light onto the walls.

Once the kettle started whistling they returned to the kitchen, preparing their cocoa and then going back to the living once more and sitting on the couch, blankets swathing their legs. They faced each other with their backs pressed up against the arms of the sofa, sipping their cocoa quietly, staring intently at one another. The silence was broken when Bella started wiggling her toes against Edward's, making him laugh and close his eyes for a moment.

This allowed Bella to set her mug on the side table and flip over to Edward, squeezing between him and the back of the couch. "I was lonely." She explained, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her ear over his heart, sighing in contentment. Edward set his mug next to Bella's and gingerly lowered his arms over her shoulders, pinning her to his side. He didn't know it but when he did that Bella's heart fluttered rapidly in excitement and her cheeks colored.

"You're amazing Edward." Bella mumbled, the atmosphere the fire created somehow making her subconsciously lower her voice. It was as if speaking too loudly would shatter the serenity of the room. Edward mentally relished the way her voice made his chest vibrate as she whispered. "You have curly hair. I like it." Edward wasn't sure that she was coherent so he said nothing.

The snow picked up once more; just barely visible since the sky was nearly black, barely clinging onto the daylight that was hardly there in the first place. The fire continued to crackle softly, the only sound in the room save for the two teens' light breathing. It was so quiet and calm that when the phone rang, shrill and deafeningly loud, they jumped and Bella had to scramble off the couch to reach it in time.

She fell twice before answering, "Hello?" she was panting slightly, breathless from her sprint to the receiver. Edward snickered as he replayed Bella tripping over and over again in his head, too distracted by the usually graceful and poised girl hitting the hardwood floor to pay attention to the phone conversation. He only realized she had hung up after she returned to the couch and snuggled into her previous spot. Edward asked her about the exchange.

"Oh it was just my dad telling me the snow was really heavy, that I shouldn't go out, and that he can't leave the office until the plow comes and clears the road. So I guess that means you are stuck here for a while since I can't drive you home." Edward pretended to be bummed about the snow being too heavy but, of course, on the inside he was ecstatic at his chance to stay with Bella for however long he could. He didn't know it, but Bella had hopped up and down and danced a little when her dad told her the roads were inaccessible.

"Do you-" Bella cut off as the lights flickered and zapped out, leaving the room in near darkness, only lit by the fire. The wind howled audibly outside, obviously the reason for the power outage, and branches could be heard hitting the house. "Oh poop." Bella mumbled to the shadows.

"It's fine, let's just stay where we are." Edward whispered, his lips so painfully close to Bella's ear, he could just twitch forward and brush her skin with his lips. Bella agreed, acutely aware or the proximity of the boy's lips. Would it be right for them to kiss? Just once? They hardly knew one another, only having a few classes together but no contact whatsoever up until then.

Did people not do far more scandalous things with people they had known for mere hours, their promiscuity a sham to the proper courting methods of any time period? How terrible would it be for them to share just one little smooch? Who knows, perhaps it would lead to a relationship between the two one day.

Alas, their lips did not meet that night. They just lay there for hours in the warm glow of the fire, curled around each other, two near strangers who felt so comfortable with one another intimately entwined on a saggy couch that smelled of marijuana from Charlie's younger days. Their lips would not meet that night but two months later in a sweet and hesitant action.

The two would frolic in the snow the day after their first night and it would be only the beginning of the hundreds of things they would do together. These would lead to more romantic things like dates, dances, and eventually marriage. And to think it really began with a sleigh ride together, just them two.

**Haha not sure how that was but… I had planned on getting this posted **_**before **_**Christmas but, of course, I put my thumb through my laptop's screen :D. SO there it is, Sleigh Ride, I hope you enjoyed.**


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